As more and more states permit their residents to use various forms of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, it will be interesting to see how information about parents’ marijuana use will be utilized in child custody cases. As of right now, in Mississippi, almost all marijuana product use is illegal, except for a very small exemption for the use of certain formulations of marijuana oil for medicinal use. This means that in the overwhelming majority of Mississippi child custody cases, any evidence of any form of marijuana in a parent’s system at any time could be viewed as evidence of drug use and could be considered as such in a child custody case. However, as more and more pieces of marijuana legislation are introduced in Mississippi and throughout the nation that may change. Unfortunately, changes to rules regarding child custody do not always keep pace with changes in other legislation, as the stories below indicate.

Thirty eight states have legalized some forms of marijuana, and the number of states to do so is steadily rising. Other states, like Pennsylvania, have decriminalized it without legalizing it just yet. Parents on both sides of child custody cases around the nation, along with their attorneys, make allegations regarding marijuana use frequently during court proceedings. Allegations of marijuana use are also frequently included in reports that are made to child welfare agencies, and these allegations can lead to custody cases.

Because of the amount of confusion surrounding marijuana use and its legality and appropriateness, parents should always approach the marijuana use issue with great care and caution. Parents across America have lost custody of children because of various types of marijuana use. It happens in states where marijuana has been legalized for recreational use. It also happens in states where medical marijuana is legal, in situations where parents have been prescribed marijuana by their physicians. This creates a great deal of frustration and confusion, because parents can be found to be abiding the law as regards marijuana use, yet they can be found to be violating other laws that are related to the care and custody of their children. To further confuse things, courts in other states are treating marijuana use more like alcohol use and holding parents responsible for using it only in cases that involve situations where it may have affected their ability to keep their children safe, or where they are providing it to minors.

Child custody cases involve many complicated legal and personal issues. It is important to get accurate answers to the questions that you encounter along the way. A Mississippi Child Custody Attorney can help you understand the issues in your child custody case, and they can help you find the information that you need to make important decisions. If you need legal assistance with any type of child custody matter, Mississippi Child Custody Attorney Matthew S. Poole may be able to help you. Please call our office today, at (601) 573-7429.

This entry was posted
on Monday, July 20th, 2015 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Mississippi Child Custody Articles.
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